I was in Wakefield recently, to speak at an open meeting about setting up a local City of Sanctuary initiative there. It was a large and enthusiastic gathering at the Cathedral, organised by Bishop Tony Robinson - including people from local mosques, churches, Quaker & Unitarian meetings, schools, the Council etc.

One man there was a refugee from Iran, who said how he wants City of Sanctuary to offer the opportunity to talk openly with local people, so they can find out what it is really like to be a refugee. He described his life in Wakefield as being a 'second chance', to make the positive difference here that he couldn't at home. And he eloquently described how a good society needs to take special care of its 'weakest links', the ones most at risk of being excluded. 'Because if we take care of the weakest', he said, 'then everyone is more supported. But if we say "it is OK for some people to be rejected" then the whole society suffers, just like in Germany when they said that it is all right for the Jews to be excluded, and the whole society became sick.'

The meeting decided then and there to form a City of Sanctuary initiative, and half a dozen people volunteered to be on a steering group, making the 12th City of Sanctuary group by my count, after Sheffield, Leicester, Bradford, Coventry, Nottingham, Oxford, Bristol, Swansea, London, Hull and Ipswich.